The key elements of the HQE certification have been retained

In five years of existence, Certivéa has become the reference for tertiary HQE certification. Over 700 projects have been certified, totalling more than 11 million square meters. Certivéa has created a generic scheme to meet international expectations in terms of requirements, references and processes.

The certification body is developing an offer specifically adapted to the international level while maintaining and exporting the elements that make the HQE certification a success:

• A comprehensive approach: a multi-criteria approach covering all aspects of a real estate project, placing the health and comfort of its occupants and the environment at the centre of its concerns.
• Technical expertise:: with a solid scientific and technical basis, it comprises a long process of consultation with professionals in the construction and real estate sectors, and a field experience that has been enriched every day for over 10 years.
• The performance: its building performance evaluation assesses amenities as well as health aspects, while incorporating international indicators (the Sustainable Building Alliance CEN TC 350). The overall performance of the building is also promoted through the Sustainable Building Passport, launched by Certivéa last September.
• Adaptability: its generic approach is sustained by international rules and standards, as well as local criteria through a system of an "equivalence principle," enabling Certivéa to adapt locally all or part of the certification requirements.
• Transparency: to ensure complete impartiality and objectivity concerning the building performance evaluation, the auditor is appointed and paid by Certivéa. This method is currently one of the few to reach the highest level of confidence as well as being recognised by ISO.

Certivéa is launching the development of this certification offer today (test phase, pilot projects, etc.); it should be totally operational at the end of the first quarter of 2012.

France GBC has chosen to promote the HQE certification internationally

France GBC, an association for the development of sustainable construction and development, working nationally as well as internationally, has chosen to promote the HQE certification internationally as the building certification reference for sustainable buildings.

In this way, France GBC is contributing to the development of French know-how and expertise of its players at an international level.

For further information…

• About Certivéa:

Certivéa, a subsidiary of the CSTB group, promotes steps to improve the performance of players in the construction sector in all its dimensions, through building certification in France and abroad: managerial, customer satisfaction, technical and environmental performances. Certivéa is considered today a real partner for change for players in the building/city/regional sectors. Its primary mission is to promote improvement and certify the performance levels of stakeholders and buildings, cities and regions, having sustainable development as its objective: Certivéa offers a certification structured around tertiary projects and its respective stakeholders.

Certivéa is a founding member of France GBC.

For more information: www.certivea.fr

• About France GBC:

France GBC, the French link of the World Green Building Council (World GBC) network, works to mobilise the entire French construction sector, thanks to the diversity and complementarity of its members.

Founded in 2010 at the initiative of a founding group consisting of the EFFINERGIE Association, the HQE Association, the QUALITEL Association, the RESOBAT Association, CSTB, the AFNOR Group, the IFPEB and the Plan Bâtiment Grenelle, France GBC is a non-profit association, engaged in the dissemination of information, coordination efforts and the promotion of awareness of French know-how pertaining to sustainable construction and development.

One of the features of France GBC within the World GBC entails the strength of its network. It comprises all of the French players in the sustainable building sector: a comprehensive mobilisation of multiple skills and know-how, particularly in the field of construction with High Environmental Quality and Low Energy Consumption.

acked by the Plan Bâtiment Grenelle, France GBC has become today the French platform for reflection, action and communication for:

• stimulating and promoting actions uniting the public and private sectors, serving the sustainable development sector nationally, and including sustainable development, design, construction, operations and renovation;
• contributing to the emergence of a shared vision of sustainable construction, by being the flag bearer of the French position and promoting the dissemination of French know-how internationally.

For more information: www.francegbc.fr

• About the HQE Association:

A sustainable construction and development platform, recognised as a public utility, the HQE Association assists contractors, professionals, experts and users in:

• Anticipating and initiating a reflection process
• Contributing to the attainment of excellence in different regions and professional practices
• Representing the general interests of the sector's players internationally

To this end, it elaborates and improves reference frameworks, shares knowledge, trains professionals and puts its values in practice within its global networks and forums.

Backed by more than 15 years of knowledge, the HQE Association has created, promoted and adapted the HQE initiative.

For more information: www.assohqe.org

• About CSTB:

CSTB, Scientific and Technical Centre for Building, is a public organisation for innovation in building which performs four key activities, namely research, expertise, evaluation and dissemination of knowledge, organised to satisfy sustainable development challenges in the world of construction.Its field of expertise covers construction products, buildings and their integration into districts and towns.

With its 885 employees, subsidiaries and networks of national, European and international partners, CSTB offers its service to all parties involved in construction to improve the quality and safety of buildings.

For more information: www.cstb.fr

Based on an international generic scheme, this certification offer retains all the elements that have made HQE certification a success in France and also already at an international level:

• A comprehensive approach: a comprehensive and multi-criteria approach, bringing together all the stakeholders of a construction project (contractors, users, occupants, etc.). Placing respect for the environment, and the health and comfort of the occupants at the centre of its concerns, HQE certification aims to improve the built environment by:
  • assessing the impact of the building on its environment and on the health and comfort of users,
  • identifying relevant actions to reduce this impact.

  To this end, HQE certification integrates three inseparable components throughout its process:

  • The project's management requirements: the project owner is a veritable conductor who sets goals and specifies the role of the different stakeholders of the project;
  • The environmental performance of the building: throughout the project, the building performances will be assessed according to the Building's Environmental Performance requirements, which are based on the 14 targets of the HQE process (the building's relation to its immediate environment, its energy management, acoustic comfort, sanitary air quality, etc.).
  • Performance indicators.

  As a framework for these three components, HQE certification relies on three principles:

  • The desired objectives are set solely by the project owner;
  • Therefore, no architectural or technical solution is imposed: the respective choices are made by the project team and are always adapted to their context;
  • To achieve these set objectives, the type of management chosen for the project enables the mobilisation of all the operation's stakeholders.
  • The comprehensive approach of HQE certification permits the construction of environmentally friendly buildings while creating comfortable and safe interior spaces for all its occupants.
  • Technical expertise: The tertiary HQE certification has a solid scientific and technical basis, it comprises a long process of consultation with professionals in the construction and real estate sectors, and it is based on a field experience that has been enriched every day for over 10 years.

  As a subsidiary of CSTB (Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment), Certivéa also regularly develops schemes specific to each of the tertiary activities (retail, logistics, sports equipment, etc.). For their elaboration, modification, and so forth, Certivéa systematically surrounds itself with recognised experts in their respective field of activity and develops synergies with top scientists.
  For the launch of its international offer, Certivéa has developed two schemes:
  - One for the Building's Environmental Performance,
  - A second one for the Environmental Management Requirements of the Project Like the ones launched in France, these schemes are subject to consultation with the industry's players.

  • Technical expertise is an integral part of the HQE certification process: it has been developed by experts in their respective fields of activity and it has been enriched every day for over 10 years.
  • High performance: HQE certification comprises a performance evaluation of a project regarding its environmental and energy aspects as well as those pertaining to health and comfort. To this end, HQE certification is based primarily on a next-generation method, compatible with international indicators such as the Sustainable Building Alliance, CEN TC 350, etc.

  While promoting innovation and the recognition of user needs through non-prescriptive criteria, this approach entails an assessment of the overall performances of the project with the Sustainable Building Passport, launched by Certivéa last September. Through the CSTB group, of which it is a subsidiary, Certivéa also actively participates in international working groups, working to establish common indicators so as to enable, in particular, the assessment and comparison of a building's performances, from one country to another. Consequently, the "HQE Performance" technical scheme has been devised in anticipation of international developments in this field.

  • The performance of a building is assessed both in its comfort and health aspects, in a manner compatible with next-generation international indicators (Sustainable Building Alliance, CEN TC 350), and more comprehensively via the «Sustainable Building Passport».
  • Adaptabilty: n order for a tertiary building to obtain the HQE certification, it must meet a number of fundamental prerequisites and justify performance levels beyond its current practices, for at least 7 of the 14 groups of environmental criteria (named "targets") comprising the HQE procedure.

  As part of its multi-criteria approach, HQE certification specifies different levels of performance for each target: the "Good-performance" level corresponds to good practices and the "High-performance" level, to the best practices.
  To be certified, a project must meet the basic prerequisites, such as making a commitment to complying with local regulations wherever they exist (accessibility, seismic standards, etc.) and reach at least three "High-performance" levels and four "Good-performance" levels. Certivéa and the tertiary HQE certification process do not impose any particular solution: the solution will effectively depend on each project, each use, each context…

  As an integral part of the international offer developed by Certivéa, it is also important to consider local concerns which may differ according to each country, each city, etc.
  Consequently, the international scheme for environmental performances of tertiary buildings includes:
  - Generic requirements established in reference to best practices and international standards;
  - Local performance levels demonstrated by the building certification applicant, if necessary through the "equivalence principle." With this system, it is possible then to adapt locally all or part of the building certification requirements while respecting local conditions.

  The tertiary HQE certification works in all countries, all cultures, all climate zones, etc., thanks to its "equivalence principles," through which the relevance of respective actions can be adapted and recognized, whenever necessary, according to each context.
  Transparency: The assessment of building performances is carried out by "full third-party" audits, conducted by an independent auditor, appointed and paid by Certivéa. This completely independent certification process of a project is unique in the world.

  The auditor remains neutral and objective and cannot, in any way, assist, advise or train the building certification applicant. The total transparency of the building certification process ensures independence and impartiality to the applicant: this level of monitoring is now recognised as the highest in the world, according to ISO ratings.

  The audit, conducted at three different stages of the project (programming/design/ production) is carried out in the presence of those managing the operation, and in situ for the auditing of the execution phase. Consequently, the auditor assesses:
  - The compliance with the scheme's requirements and the justifications for the attainment of the buildings environmental performance objectives set by the project owner;
  - How well the project's management requirements are respected.

  This certification approach encompasses a human and educational dimension: it allows each player in the project to actively participate in obtaining the building certification as well as rallying all concerned stakeholders around the project.

  • HQE certification provides complete transparency and impartiality. This "full third-party" certification process is recognized by the ISO as having the highest reliability in the world.

  France GBC is promoting HQE certification internationally

  Created in 2010 at the initiative of leading French sustainable construction and real estate industry players, France GBC is an association dedicated to sustainable development, construction and development.
  France GBC is also the flag bearer of France's position internationally and it helps strengthen the offerings of French companies.
  Within this context and as a national and international player, France GBC has selected HQE certification as THE reference for international building certification for sustainable buildings: it will thus strengthen the know-how and expertise of French industry players on the international stage.